Esther Has Lost 17 Pounds!

For those of you who have been following Esther’s weight loss journey, she continues to do very well. 19 weeks into her weight loss journey, Esther is down a total of 17 pounds! Her current weight is 131 pounds, down from 148 pounds. And even more importantly, she has lost a lot of inches, especially in the lower abdominal area. Esther said she has had to buy all new pants. (Pic below is of Esther and Stephanie, a co-worker who attended Esther’s gym on a guest pass)

Conversation with Esther: She told me that her major goal is to get under 130 pounds by the end of October. This will mark the end of 6 months of her weight loss journey. We talked about how her weight loss has been slowing down in the past month. A slow down in weight loss is not unusual as someone gets closer to their goal weight. This happens for 2 reasons: 1. The body is “fighting you” as you try to get to the lower weight because that is not your usual weight 2. We tend to get a little less strict on our eating plan as more time goes by.

Esther and I had a “heart to heart” phone session to brainstorm ways to help her meet her goal. We identified two major problem areas that are slowing her progress:

Problem #1:. Socializing with too much food and alcohol continues to be a major problem for her. I’m sure many of us can relate to this. Business lunches/dinners, events, meeting up with friends … all these occasions revolve around food and / or alcohol.

Proposed solution: Do more planning. Esther and I talked about her upcoming events for the week and planned on which nights she would have alcohol and how much. We also talked about how to handle the food situations at these events. Planning is key! I also do this with my private clients when they come to my office.

Problem #2: I also noticed on her food records that she has been snacking more after dinner on the nights she is home. Esther reports feeling hungrier now and thinking about food more after dinner as compared to when she first started the eating plan.

Proposed Solution: Make sure she fills up on a lot of veggies at dinner. Keep fewer snacks at home. While Esther is great about buying healthy portion controlled snacks to keep at home, sometimes she has too much of a variety available. Studies have shown the the more choices you have available, the more you will eat. (This is why we overindulge at buffets). Esther sometimes has a little buffet of snacks available at home! We also talked about her spending more time at night at the new Equinox, which is practically across the street from where she lives (if it ever opens …. the opening has already been delayed!)(Pic on the right is of a buffet… no – not in Esther’s apartment)

1. As I mentioned above, I suggested Esther keep fewer snacks in her apartment.
2. Work more on planning alcohol/ food intake at social occasions for the week ahead.
3. 1300-1400 calories
4. Exercise: private training 2x, pilates 1-2x, cardio 3-4x
5. Weigh portions of protein at night. It is difficult for me to estimate your calories if I don’t know the exact portions.
6. 4 alcoholic drinks a week. Be strict!!

(pic to the right is of Esther’s new spinning shoes. She bought them a gift to herself to help keep her motivated to take spinning classes. I think it is a great idea to buy yourself new workout clothing, gadgets or equipment on occasion to help motivate yourself!)

Keep up the great work! We are cheering for you to meet your goal of getting under 130 by the end of October.

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MEETMARTHA

I especially love problem-solving, whether it’s helping women defeat issues plaguing them for years, helping a busy executive find practical ways to get heart healthy, or providing tips to help you reverse diabetes. That’s why I’m on a constant quest to expand my knowledge by staying on top of the latest research.